Thursday, April 6, 2017

The general consensus across the board is that the US economy is continuing its slow but steady rise from the Great Recession that started in 2007. Of course, that entire sentence is loaded with important qualifications: “general consensus”, “slow but steady”… what does it all really mean? Basically, as you probably already know if you’ve found this article, the climate for startups and successful business ventures has never been a sure thing. In fact, it can be downright risky.

Everything you know is wrong.

An article by Jim Clifton, CEO of Gallup, came out earlier this year with some really sobering statistics from the polling experts themselves. It was called, “American Entrepreneurship: Dead or Alive?” and I strongly recommend reading it when you have a few minutes.

The Cliff Notes version, however, is simply this – many of the statistics you hear touted on TV and published online regarding the recovery of the US economy and specifically about US entrepreneurship are misleading. The actual facts show that, although the economy is certainly in a better place than it was several years ago, starting a business and keeping it alive is not as easy now as it was prior to the recession.

Monday, March 6, 2017

Who says only CEO has all the power to influence people? In any organizations even those at the bottom of the rung can exert considerable influence as long as you know the right people and have right techniques. Simple strategies can help you get others do whatever you want them to do without having them even realize it. No, these are not dark arks intended to harm someone, but are psychological methods you can use to your advantage.

Want to be more successful at work and life? Then here is what Steve Liefschultz suggests you do.

Nod

There is scientific evidence that if people are nodding along as they listen to something, there is a greater probability of them being in agreement with it. Adding to this, scientists also observed that if someone is continuously nodding while speaking, then the recipients will also start to do the same. Mimicking behaviors, particularly ones with positive meanings, is a well-known human trait.

What you need to do is to nod frequently without being awkward to make your argument extra convincing. The person in front will be persuaded automatically. Try it the next time you ask a question or a favor.

Name

How do you make friends with someone and get them to like you the instant you meet? The easiest thing you can do is to include their name during the first five minutes into your conversation. Again, avoid the awkward and make it sound natural to be effective. Phrases like “hello (insert)” and “nice to meet you (insert)” will resonate with them positively such that they will feel inclined to prefer the person who validated their existence over another.

Also, for someone who wants to be closer to can be influenced likewise can be worked in simply by calling them “mate” or “friend” whenever possible.

Monday, February 6, 2017

Let’s face it! Starting and running a small business is inherently risky. Number of things could go wrong at any point – you may run out of cash, another large competitor could move in your space, customers may not like your new product. The list can go on and on. According to SBA show that only 50% of new businesses survive 5 years or more. And yet, every year large number of entrepreneurs jumps in to try their luck. You do not have to be one of those 50% businesses that fall in the failure category. With proper planning and execution you can succeed in building a lasting business. Here are just a few ways to increase your odds of securing fame and fortune in the business world.

Know What You Want

Why are you going into business in the first place? What’s your primary goal? Some people want to change the world with their products or revolutionize the industry with their services. Others are simply looking to make a profit. There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to your personal desires; just make sure you’re being honest with yourself about your intentions before you actually invest capital in them.

Learn How to Delegate

This is especially critical if you’re hiring employees or outsourcing some of your work load to others. You probably won’t have enough time to make every decision yourself, so you’ll want to hire others that you can trust to make these choices when you can’t. If you don’t respect them enough to complete these tasks, you shouldn’t have gone into business with them in the first place. Learning to delegate is probably one of the most important skills you need to learn as a business owner.